The present invention relates to acoustic ablation techniques, and more particularly, but not exclusively, relates to endoscopic medical treatment apparatus, devices, systems, and methods involving acoustic ablation—particularly for treatment of the esophagus.
The ability to selectively remove tissue from a portion of the human body with a minimal degree of trauma has led to the development of various therapeutic procedures. Indeed, minimally invasive techniques have been developed that involve accessing a treatment site through a body passageway, such as the vasculature, the gastrointestinal tract, and the like. One particular area of interest is the removal of tissue from the esophagus to treat a pre-cancerous condition, known as “Barrett's Esophagus.” It is believed that this condition affects millions of people. International Patent Application Publication Number WO 02/39915 A1 describes various schemes to remove tissue associated with Barrett's Esophagus.
Frequently, these and other approaches do not provide a desired degree of control over various parameters associated with the targeting of ablation energy on the tissue. Thus, there is an ongoing demand for further contributions in this area of technology. Moreover, advances in this area of technology can have application in medical treatments other than the esophagus and/or in nonmedical procedures.